The Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) earlier announced the introduction of Artificial Intelligence as an elective subject for students in classes 9 to 12 that will start from the next academic year. To do so, CBSE has collaborated with IBM India to design the course curriculum for AI. IBM India along with members of its global team and other subject experts has been tasked with the responsibility of developing the course syllabus for AI.

To begin with, IBM will conduct a pilot project in over 1000 schools in Delhi, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, and Bhubaneswar. During the pilot project, IBM and CBSE will jointly scrutinize the performance of students and the learning outcomes for the new syllabus for AI subject. The pilot project was launched in Delhi on 11th September this year. After the completion of the pilot project, the board will finalise the curriculum and inserting it in the CBSE curriculum from the next academic year onwards.

As part of the pilot project, it will start with creating awareness for school principals, followed by a detailed training exercise with two and half days for the school teachers who will undergo foundational training of the subject. Afterward, students will receive a five-stage training which consists of research-informed readings, customised online resources, and hands-on projects.

This initiative will help participants develop AI knowledge, skills and values through multi-media online resources, as well as practical activities and sequencing of learning experiences.

What Will Course Curriculum Entails? 

The curriculum includes key concepts such as orientation on AI, ideation and innovation workshops on selected areas for AI deployment, students will make a minimum viable prototype, Capstone project, where they will be mentored by IBM experts for advanced prototype development and on-ground implementation of projects to make the foundation stronger. The programme requires 36 hours of school time for completion.

The course will offer a platform to top 40 students from these 1,000 schools, who will be selected for the Capstone project, to demonstrate at forums like hackathons or international conferences.

Vice President, India Software Labs, IBM, Gaurav Sharma said, “Unlike creating a curriculum for professionals, introducing the subject to school children is different. We have a chance to create a course to give the best effect by using a design-based approach to problem-solving with AI. The programme intends to develop a professional learning community for teachers in partnership with the industry. We will ensure it provides collaborative global project opportunities for students and recognise learning achievements through badging and accreditation.”